It was supposed to be a quiet end to a long day: five close-knit family and friends settling in for some much-needed sleep after coming together for an early Christmas party.

Instead, it’s the beginning of a shocking night of brutality when six intruders break into the sprawling residence of Debra Hillsboro, a middle-aged romance novelist with a fierce devotion to her loved ones and a strong kinship with her home of almost thirty years.

Armed with smartphones and a modern brand of madness, the intruders – an internet-age cult disconnected from humanity and addicted to causing fear and mayhem – have come to the secluded property for one purpose: to terrorize, and ultimately kill, everyone inside all while filming their heinous crimes.

Outnumbered and cut off from the outside world, the terrified occupants find themselves trapped in a fight for survival as a once place of safety is turned into a deadly maze of darkened rooms and forbidding hallways. On this sweltering summer night, they must somehow find a way to escape before the cult turns the beloved home into a house for the dead.

Product description

Product Description

It was supposed to be a quiet end to a long day: five close-knit family and friends settling in for some much-needed sleep after coming together for an early Christmas party.

Instead, it’s the beginning of a shocking night of brutality when six intruders break into the sprawling residence of Debra Hillsboro, a middle-aged romance novelist with a fierce devotion to her loved ones and a strong kinship with her home of almost thirty years.

Armed with smartphones and a modern brand of madness, the intruders – an internet-age cult disconnected from humanity and addicted to causing fear and mayhem – have come to the secluded property for one purpose: to terrorize, and ultimately kill, everyone inside all while filming their heinous crimes.

Outnumbered and cut off from the outside world, the terrified occupants find themselves trapped in a fight for survival as a once place of safety is turned into a deadly maze of darkened rooms and forbidding hallways. On this sweltering summer night, they must somehow find a way to escape before the cult turns the beloved home into a house for the dead.

About the Author

Brett McBean is an award-winning horror and thriller author. His books, which include The Mother, The Last Motel and Wolf Creek: Desolation Game, have been published in Australia, the US, and Germany. He's been nominated for the Aurealis, Ditmar, and Ned Kelly awards, and he won the 2011 Australian Shadows Award for his collection, Tales of Sin and Madness. He lives in Melbourne with his wife, daughter and German shepherd. Find out more at: brettmcbean.com

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The first night that I decided to jump into ‘The Invasion’ by Brett McBean I read around 20% of it on my Kindle. I liked what I read. The book was set in my home country of Australia and had an interesting way in which it was written; each chapter takes place inside of a different room within a house. We are introduced to the characters inside of the house and before you know it they have some unwelcome visitors. That is pretty much the synopsis. The next night I started reading again, couldn’t put it down and finished it.The story caught my off guard a little. It is quite long (300+ pages) and things take shape very early on. When the intruders entered the story so soon I thought the author had made a terrible mistake. How could this invasion keep me engaged for another 200+ pages? Isn’t it going to run out of ideas? Will it run out of steam?What I didn’t know was enough about Brett McBean. I am aware of him and his work but have never read any of his stories before and so here is where I start gushing about this book…‘The Invasion’ is THE best horror book that I have read in 2016 (along with ‘Mister White’ by John C. Foster). McBean is a superb storyteller. ‘The Invasion’ hit all the right buttons for me as a reader and I will tell you why: The characters are excellent; just a bunch of very ordinary, unspectacular folk that you could easily imagine living next door to, and this is why what happens to them is all the more horrific and upsetting. The dialogue is natural and free flowing; never feeling forced or out of place. The tension McBean creates is intense, due in part to the pacing of the chapters. I said earlier that each chapter takes place inside a different room, but what McBean does well is he makes his chapters really short when there is a scene that demands it; be it a chase scene or a scuffle, it really does work brilliantly. I literally lived every moment inside of this house of horrors and let me tell you there are some graphic, gruesome scenes in this book. Because the story takes place inside of a house where our characters have no real place to run, this creates a real claustrophobic atmosphere; I felt as if the walls were closing in around me and the house that at first seemed quite large was gradually getting smaller and smaller. I don’t get upset easily at all with horror books but some scenes in this really made me feel uncomfortable. The intruders are a vile bunch, but you don’t get that impression early on. It seems like a simple break-in, though things spiral out of control with the introduction of Mr Fear-the group’s leader. I think the book provides a real insight into the youth of today, and about how obsessed they are with technology and social media. Our intruders are forever using their mobile phones and talking about uploading the videos they create.This book is a masterclass in building tension, fear and excitement. It builds and builds right up until the final few pages where I was left feeling drained, exhausted, horrified and upset.‘The Invasion’ is a book by a writer at the top of his game, an enthralling, heart-stopping survival horror journey that will leave you feeling emotionally spent. One of the best horror books I have read for quite some time.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this novel.

The Invasion is an intensely terrifying story. Having read other books by Brett McBean (Desolation Game: Wolf Creek 2) I expected him to bring on the horror and I wasn't disappointed. We start off getting to know just enough about a group of family and friends to see that they are decent people who love one another. The scene is set. It's cozy and warm like a fuzzy robe on a cold night. Then BAM! A group of people break in with only one goal in mind,,, to terrify, torture and murder the people in the house. The storyline reminded me of The Strangers or You're Next, and as with those stories I spent a lot of time thinking 'Get out of there! Run! No, don't hide there!'. The cult and their leader, Mr. Fear, are terrifying in their total disregard for the lives they are taking. Viewing the people they are torturing and killing as nothing more than playthings that will garner them internet fame. One of the cult actually states that "I can't do it if it's not being filmed It won't count if no one else can see it.". This coldness and lack of empathy are horrifying to me. It makes The Invasion a very effective horror story. The only complaint I had about this book is the house. It would have been a five star read without the chapter from the house's perspective. I would still recommend it to horror fans. A darkly twisted 4 star read.

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

The Invasion, by Brett McBean, is a startlingly bleak home invasion story, but one that is wonderfully written. The opening paragraph alone delivers the goods and the promise of what’s to come.

“There is something ominous about a front porch light glowing in the daytime. It speaks of a place left in limbo, of lives interrupted and of simple, everyday tasks forgotten. It signifies that for this house, night has yet to end.”

Damn if that didn’t suck me in right from the get-go!

The night is certainly long for the family tucked behind the once-believed secure walls of the Carmela house. Deb, a romance novelist, has just finished hosting Christmas dinner for her brother, his boyfriend, her niece, and literary agent. After the guests have tucked themselves into bed, they are brusquely awoken by strangers in the home, who then tie them up and taunt them before things escalate further. And then Mr. Fear arrives…

Although The Invasion is a straight-up home invasion horror, this is not a merely a burglary interrupted but a story of psychopathy and cultish belonging. For the invaders, it isn’t about robbery so much as it’s sheer entertainment for them, their enjoyment fueled by their victim’s fright.

At times, McBean’s work is downright savage, and he doesn’t shy away from the cruelty of his crazy invaders, who get off on filming their horrendous crimes. The character work is nicely executed (no pun intended), and by the final pages I was really feeling for Deb, and her friends and family, and the devastation that’s been unleashed upon them. McBean uses their shared history as both friends and family to give us insight into their past relationships with one another, and with the Carmela house itself. Although the focus is squarely on the humans within, the house itself provides the narrative with its shape and structure as each chapter takes us on a tour of the large residence.

The Invasion is a chilling story, and while it is violent it never delves into overdrawn sequences of torture porn. McBean relies on his characters and atmosphere to bring the biggest scares, along with the frightening threat of home invasion that many readers will bring to the reading all by themselves.

[Note: An advanced copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review.]

I cared so much for Debra, Paul, Taryn and the rest that when the violence began--and there are no punches pulled here--there were times I wanted to put my Kindle down. Jack Ketchum's name gets thrown around a lot, but there's enough elegance and passion here that the comparison--especially to OFF SEASON--is well and truly earned. There are shades of King and Joe Hill to be found, too, but McBean isn't an imitator, he's taken his influences and used them to enhance his own unique style.

I wouldn't have thought the home invasion genre could be successfully translated from film to the written word but I stand corrected. There is no shortage of character development with McBean's THE INVASION, which is what makes this novel shine. When these characters are put in peril--and trust me, there's no shortage in that department--we care deeply because they're handled with such attention to detail. Highly recommended.

A wonderfully bleak home invasion thriller written at a white-knuckle pace that doesn't let up. Good luck breathing during this one -- a lot of sadistic, horrific fun, and by fun I mean all-out dark, dark horror. Enjoy!

Brett McBean's latest novel, THE INVASION, was ruined, in my opinion, by way too many flashbacks, background info dumps, segues, asides, and past incidents that only served to stall the book's forward momentum, at times, to a crawl. The story should have been more lean and concise, more straightforward and plot-driven, and would have worked better at say...novella-length. As it was, it was simply, and relentlessly, depressing, with the climax involving Debra and Taryn being dragged out for an interminable length of time. It was agonizing. And I won't even touch on the surprisingly fair amount of grammatical errors! Suffice it to say that this tale of home invasion and torture had absolutely no redeeming value: it was merely a gory, depressing tale of pure, unadulterated evil. NOT recommended!